Thoroughbreds//The Turning [COMPLETED]

Chapter 23 - Flashlight (Part 1)

Quint had vanished before I could respond. I held my lightly bleeding neck as I bolted for the door, darting out of it and into the corridor.

I spun my head around, eyeing the empty corridor.

"Kate?" I barely managed to mumble out. The corridor remained silent.

I made my way slowly down the long hall, the carpet masking the noise of my shoes slapping against it. The only noise I was able to hear was my own raspy breathing before I rounded the corner.

I could hear Flora chanting from the room before me as I slowly approached it. I walked into the room, being careful enough to avoid the creaky floorboards upon entering.

"K-kate?" I muttered, eyeing my auntie as she nervously bit at her fingernails. She stood around ten feet away from me, Flora being about half of that, "What's going on?"

Both of their heads immediately shot to the area I stood in. Kate appeared to have a look of pure fear within her eyes; Flora's lips curved into a wide smile before galloping over to me.

The girl wrapped her arms around my waist, "Where have you been? And what happened to your eye?"

Her question stumped me. Where have I been? What did she mean by that?

Oh, shoot, my eye! Right, Quint punched me like ten minutes ago.

Really? The bruising has begun to show already?

I furrowed my brow, "I've been here the whole time, Flora," I giggled as her head made contact with my lower stomach, "and, I walked into a door,"

"Wanna play flashlight tag?" Flora spoke. She had a tone in her voice that could be perceived as malicious, but I brushed it off as Flora being a child, as she was. I noticed how she completely ignored what I had just told her, strange.

"Flora, you have work to be doing," Kate intruded on our conversation.

"Kate, you promised," Flora dragged out her name in a whiney tone. She released her grip on me and darted over to my auntie, who eyed the younger girl.

"Yeah, Kate," I jumped at the sudden voice emanating from behind myself, my body spun around to match a face with the voice, "you promised," Miles continued.

I eyed the boy, his gaze meeting mine. I glanced down at his hands, which grasped a metal object that appeared to be a flashlight.

I whipped my head back around to eye my auntie as she spoke, "Fine, how does it work?"

"It's simple, we hide," Miles spoke as he entered the room passing me, "if you find us and flash us, we're dead," He approached Kate while handing her the flashlight.

What the hell is happening? Have Miles and Kate forgotten what had just happened?

Wait, it did happen, right?

Kate grabbed the torch from the teenager before striding out of the room. I gawked at her as Flora trotted away beside her, darting down the corridor and assumingly going to hide.

"I...Kate!" I yelled as she disappeared down the hall. I waved my arms in the air in annoyance, "Miles, aren't you-"

I was cut off by him placing his hand over my mouth, his free arm wrapped around my stomach. I attempted to get out of his tight grasp but to no avail.

"Stop squirming," He muttered down my ear, his warm breath beating down my neck.

I finally listened to his instruction and stopped squirming in his grip. I continued to allow him to hold his hand over my mouth and his arm around my stomach.

"I know you saw Quint, Elizabeth," Miles said, sliding his hand down from my mouth to the cut on my neck. I winced at the sting as he lightly dragged his fingers over it, holding my breath, "he hurt you, didn't he? I mean, that small bruise around your eye says it all, too,"

I only nodded in response, keeping my gaze on the exit around ten feet away from me. I could see him staring at me in the corner of my eye, he was hovering his head over my shoulder while his eyes were fixed on mine.

"What did he say to you?" Miles questioned.

I sighed, bowing my head for a second before pulling it back up. I looked at him, my eyes immediately greeting his cocoa ones. I noticed a tinge of sadness in his eyes but was mostly covered by anger and frustration.

I placed my hand on him, pulling it away slightly. He allowed me to spin around so I was face to face with him.

His hands planted softly on my lower back, while mine sat comfortably on his shoulders.

"You already know, you also know what his intentions were before I decked him,"

"Well, he did inform me of that," He brushed his hand over my bruised and cut neck. I gulped at the sudden contact, worried Quint had wanted to use Miles to his advantage.

I brought my hands up to meet his hand, gripping his wrist softly. He glanced down at my hands and I mimicked his actions. We both noticed the small, faded purple marks which coated my wrists.

"What were his intentions, Miles?"

The sudden question struck Miles like a lightning strike, I could see the fear lap in his eyes immediately.

He grabbed my face and before I could speak, his mouth met mine in a fast and rough way.

I closed my eyes as he continued to move his lips in rhythm with mine, becoming gentler with his actions. My hands found the back of his neck, pushing down lightly on his skin. It wasn't a wet kiss, nor a short one, but it felt right.

Dude, what the hell have you gotten yourself into this time? Miles is bad news, you know that, pull away while you still can.

He pulled away, breaking the contact of our lips before I could ask for more. His forehead met mine as he spoke, "He wants you more than I do,"